The Manchester College
______
AGENDA ITEM 18.5
THE MANCHESTER COLLEGE
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
21 SEPTEMBER 2010
Minutes of an ordinary meeting of the Board of Governors held on 21 September 2010.
AGENDA – PART A
PRESENT:-
Courage Aiguobasinmwin
David Cain Deputy Chair
Sebastian Chowdhury
Nick Collins
Peter Fell
John Hacking
Khan Moghal
Sue Murphy Chair
Eddie Sheehy
Andrew Simpkin
Peter Tavernor
Peter Wharton
IN ATTENDANCE:-
Frank Hardman Clerk to the Board of Governors
Barbara Forshaw Deputy Principal
Andrew Harrison Senior Vice Principal (Finance)
Ian Howarth Skills Funding Agency (for agenda item 17.7)
Mike MacLoughlin Skills Funding Agency (for agenda item 17.7)
Rachel Foster Minuting Secretary
The meeting commenced at 8.30am.
Sebastian Chowdhury, newly elected student governor, was in attendance.
The Chair welcomed him to the meeting and members introduced themselves.
It was
RESOLVED
i) to appoint Sebastian Chowdhury as a student member of the Board of Governors, with effect from 21 September 2010 for a term of office of two years, and
ii) to appoint Sebastian Chowdhury as a member of the Curriculum / Quality Committee with effect from 21 September 2010 for a term of office of two years.
17.1 ELECTION OF CHAIR AND DEPUTY CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Copies of a paper entitled “Election of Chair and Deputy Chair of the Board of Governors” had been circulated with the agenda.
The Clerk informed members that nominations were sought for the positions of Chair and Deputy Chair.
Sue Murphy was duly nominated and elected as Chair of the Board of Governors with an increased period of office of two years.
David Cain was duly nominated and elected as Deputy Chair of the Board of Governors with an increased period of office of two years.
It was
RESOLVED
i) to appoint Sue Murphy as Chair of the Board of Governors for a period of office of two years, and
ii) to appoint David Cain as Deputy Chair of the Board of Governors for a period of office of two years.
17.2 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Julie Armstrong and Kate Macdonald.
Apologies for lateness were received from Peter Fell.
It was noted that Julie Armstrong had been appointed as Chair of the Manchester Enterprise Academy Governing Board.
17.3 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
The Chair asked members to declare any interest they had in any items on the agenda.
Nick Collins declared an interest in Agenda Item 17.18 “Partnership between The Manchester College and the University of Salford”. David Cain declared an interest in Agenda Item 17.19 “The Manchester Academies Programme”.
17.4 CHAIR’S ACTIONS
The Chair reported that she had taken no actions on behalf of the Board of Governors.
17.5 PART A MINUTES OF AN ORDINARY MEETING HELD ON 6 JULY 2010
The Part A minutes of an ordinary meeting held on 6 July 2010 were approved as a correct record.
17.6 MATTERS ARISING
Action 1 – The Senior Vice Principal (Finance) confirmed he had written a letter to KPMG thanking them for their services.
Action 2 – The Clerk reported that the Governance and Search Committee was in the process of interviewing applicants.
Action 3 – The Clerk reported that he had contacted Roger Jones but, to date, no CV had been received.
Action 4 – It was agreed that a list of designated subject areas would be circulated.
Action 5 – It was suggested that site visits be more informal and governors drop-in to different sites rather than arrange a formal group visit.
Action 6 – The Clerk reported that the calendar of meetings had been circulated.
The Principal updated members on negotiations with UCU and he informed members that he had met with the General Secretary and the HE negotiator. It was also noted that a formal agreement was now in place and the new contracts had been accepted. The staff member representing support staff reported that there was a view that the support staff contracts had been rushed through and support staff had been given less time to consider the new contracts in comparison to teaching staff. The Deputy Principal said that the consultation period was the same for both support and teaching contracts but that the changes to the teaching contract were much more complicated. The Chair also said that negotiations with Unison had been much more informal than those with UCU which had made the transition to the new support staff contract easier. The staff member representing teaching staff said that UCU were in a position to move forward and work with the College.
The Deputy Principal informed members that there was an article in The Guardian by Andrew Mourant on prison education. John Hayes, Further Education Minister, had called for a review with an aim to reduce the rate at which offenders re-offend. The article included The Manchester College as the provider of education in approximately 60% of penal institutions; the job losses and contract changes; plus the communications with Gordon Henderson, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey.
17.7 PRESENTATION BY THE SKILLS FUNDING AGENCY (SFA) ON FUTURE SCENARIOS
It was noted that this was a timed item and would be discussed later on in the meeting.
17.8 FINANCE MATTERS
17.8.1 Report on the Part A Work of the Finance and General Purposes Committee
Copies of a report on the Part A Work of the Finance and General Purposes Committee, together with the unconfirmed minutes of a meeting of the Committee held on 10 September 2010 had been circulated with the agenda.
It was noted that the main Part A business transacted at the meeting was the approval of the First Indicative Year-End / Management Accounts 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010; approval of the report on Insurance Renewal 2010 / 2011; to receive a verbal report on Managing the Budget in Turbulent Times; approval of the Cecil White Prize Fund Annual Report 2009 / 2010 and to approve the Manchester Education and Training (MET) Annual Report and Accounts 2009 / 2010.
It was
RESOLVED
i) to note the unconfirmed Part A minutes of a meeting of the Committee held on 10 September 2010, and
ii) to approve the Part A work of the Committee.
17.8.2 First Indicative Year-End / Management Accounts 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010
Copies of a “First Indicative Year-End / Management Accounts 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010” had been circulated with the agenda.
The Senior Vice Principal, Finance, briefed members on the paper and it was noted that this was the first year-end outturn report for The Manchester College.
The attention of members was drawn to Section A of the paper which indicated that the predicted outturn for year of £1.5m to £2m had come in at £1.3m. Section B which summarised the financial position for the Core College indicated a better performance than expected with a surplus of £2m. With regard to Offender Learning the outturn was not as positive as was hoped due to the posting in-year of all restructuring costs which were more than expected.
A discussion ensued and members were of the opinion that the College was in a good position.
It was
RESOLVED
to approve the First Indicative Year – End / Management Accounts for 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010.
17.8.3 Three-Year Financial Forecast 2010 – 2013
Copies of a Three-Year Financial Forecast 2010 – 2013 had been circulated with the agenda. A table on comparative benchmarks was tabled and it was noted that the College’s costs had been moved down to the sector averages over the last 2 years.
The Board of Governors at the 6 July 2010 meeting had approved the College Budget 2010 / 2011 and considered the figures for 2011 / 2012 and 2012 / 2013. It was noted that forecasting years 2 and 3 was difficult in changing times and not least because the Skills Funding Agency had still not published suggested assumptions.
The Senior Vice Principal, Finance, briefed members on the report. It was noted that the three year plan contained the approved budget for the 2010 / 2011 and two further years of operation, and had been submitted to the Skills Funding Agency by the deadline of 31 July 2010. The College had taken the view that it was better placed than many institutions and was of the belief that there were opportunities to be prepared for financial challenges although the situation would become clearer after 20th October 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review.
The Principal briefed the members on the costs outlined on the table and how they compared with those of a “large” FE College. It was noted that income had increased, targets had been met and that the College’s curriculum delivery was much bigger than other institutions. A member was of the view that the College had been instrumental in changing Manchester and that staff were in a position to generate income, but needed the support of the Principalship.
After some further discussion it was
RESOLVED
to approve the Three Year Financial Forecast 2010 – 2013.
17.8.4 Update on FRS17 Valuation for College Year-End Accounts to 31 July 2010
Copies of a paper entitled “Update on FRS17 Valuation for College Year-End Accounts to 31 July 2010” had been circulated with the agenda. A revised FRS17 valuation was tabled.
A brief discussion took place and it was
RESOLVED
to note the contents of an update on FRS17 valuation for College year-end accounts to 31 July 2010.
17.8.5 Insurance Renewal 2010 / 2011
Copies of a paper on Insurance Renewal 2010 / 2011 had been circulated with the agenda.
The Senior Vice Principal, Finance, briefed members and it was noted that, as indicated, the College entered into a 3-year long term agreement (LTA) with Zurich Insurance Plc for its prime insurance covers beginning 1 August 2008. The insurer had agreed to offer the same terms in 2010 / 2011 as for 2009 / 2010 subject to adjustments for increases and decreases in different areas itemised in the report.
It was
RESOLVED
to approve the renewal of insurance 2010 / 2011 as recommended by the Finance and General Purposes Committee.
17.8.6 Manchester Education and Training (MET) Annual Report and Accounts 2009 / 2010
Copies of the Manchester Education and Training (MET) Annual Report and Accounts 2009 / 2010 had been circulated with the agenda.
The Clerk briefed members on the activities of the Company which, it was noted, was a property company with charitable status. It was noted that there was a £630 surplus for the year.
It was
RESOLVED
to approve the MET Annual Accounts 2009 / 2010 as recommended by the Finance and General Purposes Committee.
17.8.7 Cecil White Prize Fund Annual Report and Accounts 2009 / 2010
Copies of the Cecil White Prize Fund Annual Report and Accounts 2009 / 2010 and copies of letters form student recipients of prizes had been circulated with the agenda.
It was noted that a total of £15,500 had been given in the form of prizes for students in 2009 / 2010.
It was
RESOLVED
to approve the Cecil White Prize Fund Annual Report and Accounts 2009 / 2010 as recommended by the Finance and General Purposes Committee.
17.8.8 Discretionary Support Fund (dSF) Policy 2010 / 2011
Copies of the Discretionary Support Fund Policy 2010 / 2011 had been circulated with the agenda.
The Principal informed members that discretionary Support Funds were given annually to the College by the Skills Funding Agency and Young People’s Learning Agency to help support students aged 16 or over on further education provision.
It was
RESOLVED
to approve the Discretionary Support Fund Policy 2010 / 2011.
17.9 CURRICULUM / QUALITY MATTERS
17.9.1 Report on the Work of the Curriculum / Quality Committee
Copies of a Report on the Work of the Curriculum / Quality Committee, together with the unconfirmed minutes of a meeting of the Committee held on 13 September 2010 had been circulated with the agenda.
It was noted that the main business transacted at the meeting was to receive and note the contents of a report on Learner Voice; to receive and note a Preliminary Analysis of Achievement 16-18; the approval of proposals for a partnership between the College and the University of Salford; and to receive and note a report on Curriculum Delivery Strategic Planning for Future Challenges.
It was
RESOLVED
i) to note the unconfirmed minutes of a meeting of the Committee held on 13 September 2010, and
ii) to approve the work of the Committee.
17.9.2 Preliminary Report on Achievement 16 – 18
Copies of a Preliminary Report on Achievement 16 – 18 had been circulated with the agenda.
The Principal briefed members in detail. It was noted that the College’s A Level provision represented 7 to 8% of its work and the market was very competitive. Members were of the view that the College seemed to focus on achievers from disadvantaged backgrounds and asked for results on high achievers aswell. Discussion turned to “distance travelled” and it was agreed that learners that start at the College at a higher level also needed to “travel the same distance” as those at the lower end of the spectrum. One of the student governors spoke of his experiences and the support he had received. Members were of the view that he was a good example as he had progressed through College.